Drawn by the deals

Monday

Feb 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - A bit of Hollywood glitz blew into the cavernous California Auction Co. warehouse, along with a chilling Sunday morning breeze, as members of the Travel Channel's "Baggage Battles" mixed with area residents in a hunt for bargains.

Reed Fujii

STOCKTON - A bit of Hollywood glitz blew into the cavernous California Auction Co. warehouse, along with a chilling Sunday morning breeze, as members of the Travel Channel's "Baggage Battles" mixed with area residents in a hunt for bargains.

It was one of the North Wilson Way company's regular auctions, held the first and third Sunday of every month, offering unclaimed property seized by police mixed with a number of consignment items, antiques and collectibles.

But the prospect of seeing the "Baggage Battles" stars, as well as a chance of being on the screen when the segment is broadcast in a few weeks, brought in an standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 would-be bidders.

"Oh, my God; awesome," is how Watters described the turnout.

The show's auction specialists, who vie every week to snare the greatest treasures and turn the biggest profit, also were amped up before the 9 a.m. auction start.

"It's so diverse. There are so many gems hidden," said Billy Leroy, owner of Billy's Antiques & Props in New York City. He loved the "cool" factor of Northern California auctions.

"All the hippies lived in California, and they collected all this weird, esoteric stuff," Leroy said. "And now it's showing up at auctions."

And he promised some lively bidding.

"I've got my strategy, my game plan - which is to blow my co-hosts out of the water," he said.

Sally and Laurence Martin, the colorful couple who own Studio Antiques in El Segundo, were also enthusiastic.

"It's got a lot more antiques and collectibles than most police actions," Sally Martin said.

But there's no special advantage for the TV hosts.

"It's a level playing field. Anybody can bid on anything," Laurence Martin said.

Sally Martin noted buyers could also place bids through the Internet during the live auction, boosting the competition.

"There's something we're interested in ... that's already at $400, and the bidding hasn't even started yet," she said.

The "Baggage Battles" stars, including Mark Meyer, 25-year-old owner of Nifty Thrifty in New Babylon, N.Y., travel with a crew of about a dozen, which adds about five or six local folks to help with audio and camera work on scene, said Liz Barcia, a Travel Channel line producer.

But the TV personalities were on their own when the bidding began.

The auction started slowly, with mostly household goods - popcorn machine, drip coffeemaker, desk lamp, dishware, television/clock radio, decorative whiskey decanters - being offered. The Martins picked up an antique candlestick-style telephone. But the auction moved quickly - Watters expected to run through roughly 300 items in three to three-and-a-half hours - and started to pick up when Robert Cardenas of Stockton won a Movado watch with a bid of $80.

Cardenas later said he was elated to win the watch, admitting to having something of a fetish for nice timepieces.

"That Movado's worth more (than $80), so I got a good deal on it."

There also was lively bidding on a number of sealed storage boxes, with no guarantee on what might be inside. One box with permanent-marker lettering indicating the possible presence of jewelry and coins went for more than $500, prompting Meyer to dub it a "sucker's box."

"It's insane," Leroy said. "They're going by what's written on the outside."

But the "Baggage Battles" stars bought other sealed boxes: Meyer picked up one marked "daisy pattern china" for $55; Laurence Martin, outbidding Meyer, paid $160 for a box with no description, but a cuckoo clock picture on the side; Meyer won a refurbished truck, contents unknown, for $175.

Did they find hidden treasures or lose their shirts on those mystery boxes? To find out, you'll have to tune in to "Baggage Battles" when the segment airs, in four to six weeks, perhaps.

Watters promises to post the broadcast date, when it is available, on his website at calauctioncompany.com. Information is also available at travelchannel.com; click on "Shows," then "Baggage Battles."